A Book Review on Alzheimer's Disease

In researching Alzheimer's Disease, attempting to learn all I can about the disease, and how to care for those that have it, I have come across numerous books, articles, and blogs.  In November, I received an Amazon Kindle for my Birthday, and immediately started downloading any book I found concerning Alzheimer's Disease.  The first book I downloaded and read is Alzheimer's Finding the Words, A Communication Guide for Those Who Care  by: Harriet Hodgson.

     "Much like a telephone, speech depends on
      transmission and  reception.  If there are
      problems on the line - Alzheimer's Disease - 
      the message is garbled.  The sender and receiver
      are having entirely different  conversations."

In Alzheimer's, Finding the Words Harriet leads us on her journey with her Mother, Mabel Clifton Weil whom suffers from Alzheimer's Disease.  In the beginning stages Harriet and her mother lived in two separate states, and Harriet attempted long distance Care-giving, this became more and more difficult with every passing day.  Harriet was then forced to move her mom to a nursing facility near to where Harriet lives so that she could properly care for her mom.

In her book Harriet briefly touches on multiple facets of Alzheimer's and how to communicate with those that have it.  Starting with defining Alzheimer's Disease, early warning signs, loss of communication skills, stages of the disease, to tips and techniques caregivers can use to communicate and help their loved ones. Through the multiple subjects she touches on, Harriet will pinpoint a problem, give an example of a situation she had experienced with her mother, then site a reference from a particular book or professional in the field on how they recommend dealing with the issue.  Followed by methods that has worked or not worked for her.

I completely enjoyed the fact that she touched on such a wide range of subjects, however they were brief and left me wishing for more information on certain areas of concern.  It is for this reason that I would give her book 4 out of 5 stars.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has found themselves caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's, yet found themselves lacking the knowledge to do so.

Have you read this book?  Add your comments below.